


it's a pretty good bad idea (me and you)

by evelinafelicia



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternative Universe - No Arrow, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-14
Updated: 2017-09-14
Packaged: 2018-12-27 19:42:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12088029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evelinafelicia/pseuds/evelinafelicia
Summary: The universe was sending Felicity all kinds of signs telling her that dating Oliver Queen is a bad idea. His company is her employer, his mother her boss. He's been gone for five years and no one seems to know where he's been or what he's been doing.She knows all of this and that ending it is the wise thing to do.But then he looks at her like That and she melts. So, basically, screw the universe.- or -Felicity and Oliver like each other. Like, a lot. But maybe, somehow, that's not enough to make it work.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Look at me! I'm posting a fic! Can you believe it! This is loosely based on a Swedish film called Micke & Veronica. I enjoyed the premise and some of the scenes and I just had to write this after I first watched it. It's now been like two years so... you know. Better late than never. I really love this story though and I can't wait to share it with you guys!
> 
> Title is from the musical waitress

’’I’m sorry, what?’’ Felicity asked, staring at her friend in disbelief. Through their years as the most dynamic of duos, Iris West had never hesitated to ask the strangest things of Felicity. Ever since high school, she had been able to convince both Felicity and Barry, their ever-present best friend, to do just about anything. Everything from unnecessary (but always fun) all nighters to breaking and entering (high school, for the school paper, they discovered the election for student council was being fixed).

Had it not been for Iris, Felicity’s life would have been boring, at best, she knew that much. But this? This was a strange request, even for her best friend. Not ’out of this world crazy’. Just out of character.

’’Just hear me out.’’ Iris said, grabbing Felicity’s hand over the table, waving the other frantically in the air as she rushed to explain. ’’You’ll go inside and--’’

’’I don’t understand, Iris. You’ve gone on countless of blind dates before---’’

’’Not countless.’’ She muttered.

’’--- what’s so different about this one? You’re fearless, investigative journalist Iris West! What do you need me for?’’

It was true. She was fearless. Felicity used to envy Iris and her way of throwing herself head first into situations, dangerous or or not. Her best friend was passionate beyond belief and if she believed in something, there was no hesitating. That's what made her such a good reporter.

Iris sighed. ’’McKenna's been trying to set me up on with guys for years and... well, you remember how well some, if not most, of those went.’’

Felicity stifled a laugh. ’’Ah, yes. The hair sniffer. Though, my personal favorite was the guy who disclosed his entire family's medical history. Hard to forget. ’’

’’And after everything,’’ Iris continued, ignoring her teasing, ’’I could really use a nice evening out.’’

’’With me there, as the third wheel?’’

’’He won’t even know!’’ She protested, but Felicity shook her head.

’’For some reason, that doesn’t make me feel better. At all.’’

’’Please, Felicity’’

She sighed. It wasn’t that she wasn’t happy for her friend, who was clearly trying to move on. But Felicity had hoped Iris would be done with this. Barry had promised he would finally get his head out of his ass and ask her out. She made a mental note to talk to him later, because this story was getting very old.

In the meantime, she weighed her options. She could say no but then again, Felicity knew how this would go. Iris would whip out those pleading puppy dog eyes, remind her of all the things she’d do - and had done - for Felicity, maybe shed a tear or two before eventually winning her over. Sometimes, it took a lot of texting and calling on Iris’ part and a couple of days for Felicity to be fully convinced, but she had things to do, places to be and of this Iris was fully aware. So, she decided to give in and let her best friend have this one. ’’What do you need me to do?’’

Iris smiled widely, squeezing Felicity’s hand. “It’s so easy! You get to the restaurant, you pick a seat and look around. He’ll most likely be the only one sitting by himself, and so just… find him, check him out and text me if he’s a weirdo. Basically.’’

’’Oh, so that’s it?’’ She muttered, heavy on the sarcasm, “I’m just supposed to know, based on my two seconds staring at a stranger, if he’s a creep?’’

Iris nodded.

’’You don’t have, like, any instructions? Like he’ll have a copy of your favorite book or, I don’t know, a rose, lying on the table in front of him?’’

’’What?’’

‘’Is that not how you do blind dates anymore?’’

Iris laughed, ‘’No. He knows what I look like, McKenna said he’d find me. He’s… shy, apparently. ’’

’’Okay. That’s not alarming at all.’’

’’I just-- I need a wing-woman. Back-up. An escape plan. Feel free to call it what you want. You won’t have to stay long, I promise. You’ll be back in your PJ:s in no time. Please?’’

’’I already said yes, Iris.’’ Felicity’s said, voice soft, just as her phone went off. Felicity sighed heavily. ’’I need to get going, I’ve got a client.’’

She cringed slightly at the word because Felicity didn't have clients and Iris knew that.

’’Another house call?’’ Iris asked, barely able to hold her annoyance at bay. Felicity pulled her coat on and grabbed her purse hanging from the side of her chair.

’’Yup.’’

Iris snorted. Felicity glared at her.

’’Would you stop it?’’

’’Stop what, Felicity? They're using you to--’’

Felicity cut her off by leaning down to kiss her friend on the cheek. Mostly because she didn’t want to get into this discussion again. But also because she knew Iris did have a point. Her phone went off again and Iris huffed. Felicity ignored her and read the text. It was an address for a apartment complex a couple blocks away from where she worked. 

"See you tonight?" Iris said, hopeful.

"I've already said yes," She reminded her as she made her way towards the exit, "I'll call you later."

"Thank you! I love you!" Iris called after her friend just as Felicity opened the door and left the cafe.

 

- 

As Felicity neared the apartment complex she'd been sent to, she replayed the discussion she'd just had. And the countless others just like it. Barry and Iris were not fans of her employers. They meant well, so she couldn't really blame them. Felicity had been working with Queen Consolidated for over five years and she hadn't moved an inch. Her desk, her title, her boss, and her assignments had all stayed the same. Felicity liked her job well enough. It might not have been the best as far as prestige or pay went, and she was still a long way from realizing her dream of having her own tech company, but nevertheless. She excelled at every aspect of it and was easily the most qualified member of their department.   
  
Five years ago, when Robert Queen had called and asked for their best IT-guy, they sent Felicity who was fresh out of college and working her first week at QC. She figured her superior had done it as a hazing, to put her on the spot. It was Moira who opened the door and she hadn't been amused nor impressed when she found Felicity standing there. It had been an easy enough job so Felicity finished fast but, as she was leaving, she had accidentally let it slip that they probably should update their security system to something of this century. Mrs. Queen had called her on it, asked her to upgrade it herself, and Felicity did.

Ever since, she’d been to the Queen Mansion as well as several of their other properties, on multiple occasions at the request of Robert and Moira Queen. The rest of the IT Department weren't very happy about it, what with the new girl being requested to do personal favors for the CEO but there wasn't much they could do about it. And Felicity had wanted to impress her bosses. If the CEO wanted her to change routers at their summerhouse by the lake, then, yeah, she would. She was capable of more than to be the girl you call when your Wi-Fi is down. She knew that and on some level, she thought, so did her bosses. So she figured that if she kept going, kept doing a good job, they'd eventually promote her. Which is what she'd say to her friends every time the subject came up. Except, Iris or Barry or Joe would say, it's been five years and you're still that girl. 

Felicity sighed as she walked through the lobby, showing the doorman her QC badge. Once in the elevator, she leaned against the wall, closing her eyes. Moira Queen was, well, Moira Queen and Felicity was not in the right mindset to deal with that. She tried to gather her thoughts, tried to compose herself.

"It's just like any work day. People do things they don't want to do at jobs they don't love all the time. You're just having a bad day." 

She could hear Iris' and Barry telling her off, saying things like "People get stuck doing things they don't want to do and jobs they don't love exactly because of statements like that.". Another surge of annoyance coursed through her just as the elevator doors opened and Felicity was snapped back into reality. She stepped out, found the apartment and knocked. 

"Just like any work day," she muttered to herself as she waited. 

And it would have been like any other work day but the universe let her down because the one and only Oliver Queen opened the door and Felicity's brain short circuited. She didn't know what to say or how to react. She was angry for a second, because her superior most definitely knew but hadn’t told her it was Oliver Queen she’d be helping, which was a pretty crucial detail considering he'd just came back from the dead. Not that they thought that he’d actually been, you know, dead, but he’d been gone for five years. One day he’d been attending the funeral of his recently deceased father and the next he’d disappeared. The Queen family never addressed any rumors, never mentioned anything about where he might be. He was simply gone, and the longer his family kept quiet, the less people had seemed to care. Then, she got nervous. Felicity Smoak was a genius, no doubt about it, but she wasn't known to be good with human interaction. When she'd been a kid, she’d been able to talk her way out of any situation life threw at her because back then her rambling had been considered adorable. Now? Not so much. Computers she could deal with, they didn’t talk back or expect her to hold a normal conversation like most people did. Humans put you on the spot, computers didn’t. They were predictable.

But alas, here she was. Standing in front of Oliver Queen. A full fledged, very attractive, human with social skills and expectations. The very same Oliver Queen who, as it happened, had just gotten back from the dead. Excellent. 

’’Hi,’’ he said, barely sparing her a glance. Seeming somewhat distracted, he widened the door for her to enter before walking off into the next room, “so, I spoke to my mom and she really thinks we should go with the marble instead.’’

Felicity frowned, threw a look over her shoulder to make sure he wasn’t talking to someone else, before she stepped out of the hallway and into his apartment, closing the door behind her. ’’That’s... great?’’ She called out to him, not sure what else there was to say, and placed her purse down at her feet.

’’Really? You think so? Come take a look.’’

Still very much confused, Felicity turned a right and found herself in the kitchen. Oliver stood in the middle of the room, hands on his hips, eyebrows furrowed and lip stuck between his teeth, as if trying to solve a riddle. He was wearing a simple white t-shirt and a pair of gray sweatpants that were hanging low on his hips. She did her best not to stare.

’’I know we talked about solid wood for the countertop, white or gray for the cabinets, but it seems mom is sold on the marble. It could look good, with black cabinets and maybe a white wall panel.’’ He turned to look at her, a deep frown on his face. ’’What do you think?’’

She glanced around the kitchen. It was all pretty standard, almost bland, and she could see why it wouldn’t quite cut it for Moira Queen, what, with her rather exclusionary taste. But still, the question surprised her. Not because he’d asked her of all people - though that, too, was somewhat surprising - but because from what she’d heard about Oliver, he didn’t seem like the kind of guy who cared if he had marble countertops or not.

’’Well, your mom isn’t staying here, is she?’’

He shook his head. ’’But her opinion matters to me.’’

’’Fair enough,’’ Felicity shrugged. ’’If you want your kitchen to be inviting, homey, maybe... go for the solid wood? Marble could make it… kind of stale. Maybe too cold or... detached?’’

Oliver raised an eyebrow just as she realized what she’d said.

’’Not! That your mom is... cold. Or detached. Or stale! I mean, how would I know? I’ve only met her a few times, I don’t know her. I mean, she sort of scares me, but I don’t know her. Not like you do. Because you’re her son. I’m sure she’s... great.’’ He tilted his head at her slightly, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

’’I mean, uh, which one do you prefer?’’ She squeaked. Oliver huffed and shook his head.

’’I really liked the picture my contractor showed me. The one with the bright wall panel and the spotlights above the counter? It just had a warm and.... light quality to it. I’d like something that, I guess. I know a lot about this kind of stuff.’’

She nodded slowly, still unbelievably confused. ’’I’d prefer... that… as well? So that’s what you go for, then. I mean, not because I want it, because, obviously, it’s your kitchen. But, yeah, light and warm sounds... good.’

’’That’s your professional opinion?’’ He asked and it seemed like for every second that passed, the less she understood.

’’My what?’’

’’You’re... you’re with my contractor, right?’’

’’Your contractor.’’ A beat. ’’No. No, I’m not.’’

’’Oh,’’ Oliver said.

The reality of the situation hits her, and in a perfect life she would have kept her cool and calmly told him what she was doing there. But the look on his face – his lips pressed together, his eyes wide, eyebrows raised - mixed with the fact that he genuinely thought she, of all people, had anything valid to say about the remodeling of his kitchen was what got her in the end.

She laughed. It’s sudden and it seemed to catch him off guard and she wanted so badly to explain to him what she was doing there, but there was no stopping it. Her breaths came in quick gasps in between the hysterical giggles and tears were starting to gather at the corner of her eyes, threatening to spill. Felicity brought one of her hands to her face, in an effort to compose herself.

It didn’t work.

Mostly because of the look on his face. He was a picture of complete and utter confusion.

’’I’m just... one second.’’ Gasping, she turned around, standing with her back against him. He didn’t question her, just stood there in silence as she struggled to calm herself down. She would probably look back on this later, mortified at her own behavior. Right now, though, it was pretty funny.

It took her a couple of minutes, but her breathing eventually started to even out. That’s when she heard him muttering under his breath. Felicity turned to look at him.

’’What was that?’’ She asked in between giggles.

‘’I--- are you okay?’’

‘’Me? I —“

‘’God, I’m just—I’m so sorry. I just assumed--’’

’’It’s okay.’’ She chuckled at him, drying the tears that had gathered at the corners of her eyes.

’’Things are really hectic and--’’ he shook his head once again. ’’I’m sorry.’’

’’Don’t worry,’’ she said. ’’Believe it or not, that’s not the worst thing that has happened to me on the job.”

’’Which entails... what, exactly?’’ He asked her, sheepishly. She huffed out of a laugh.

’’Right. I’m here to set up your security.’’

Oliver’s eyes lit up with recognition. ’’The IT girl!’’ He recalled and Felicity felt her ears go red.

’’That’s me. IT-girl. As in, IT being my area of expertise, not...’’ she gestured to the kitchen around them, ’’this. Obviously.’’

She walked up to him and extended her hand. ’’My name is Felicity. Felicity Smoak.’’

He smiled, grasped her hand in his. ’’Nice to meet you Ms. Smoak.’’

’’Likewise, Mr. Queen.’’

They stood there, staring at each other and Felicity’s heart fluttered at the sight of his smile, that signature Queen smile.

’’So…’’ she trailed off, the two of them still gazing at each other.

’’So...’’

’’How about we get started. Where do you want me? Bedroom? Office?’’

Oliver huffed out a laugh, causing Felicity to squeeze her eyes shut.

“I mean, I assume that’s where you keep your router. That’s usually where I-- where people-- I mean, who am I to-- you’ve got an office, right? You’re Oliver Queen, of course you’ve got an office, why wouldn’t you have an office?’’

She opened her eyes and found him staring at her quizzically, a small grin playing on his lips. It would have made her uncomfortable, except there was something about the way he looked at her, a certain softness in his eyes, that made her think it was more of a matter of trying to figure her out rather than judging her.

’’I have this problem when it comes to... I have no filter and I- Ramble? My brain just goes… crazy,’’ She said, waving her hand to the side of her head as if it would explain it all.

’’Okay,’’ Oliver laughed, but not maliciously. ‘’While you’re here,’’ he said, ‘’could you take a look at the security system? Because I’m not sure the guy who set it up knew what he was doing.’’

Felicity nodded, thankful he had chosen to ignore her blunder, and tried not to think about the blush she could feel had a permanent place on her cheeks. ’’I’d be happy to help.’’

*

It was almost an hour later when they found themselves in the kitchen again.

’’Thank you,’’ he said, sincerely. ’’I’m sure making house calls to set up someone’s Wi-Fi isn’t exactly part of your job description.’’

’’No need to thank me, I honestly don’t mind. Plus, I think it was for the best. A system set up that poorly it hurts me. In my soul. ‘’ She said as she faked a shudder, beaming as it earned her yet another one of his laughs. 

Oliver shook his head. ’’Nevertheless, thank you.’’

‘’Well, you’re welcome,’’ Felicity said as she reached for her jacket she’d left on the counter when she first got there.

They stood there for a moment, in silence. She was lingering, not ready for this - whatever it was - to end quite yet. She took another look around the kitchen and chuckled.

‘’What?’’ He asked.

‘’I just can’t believe you thought I was your contractor,’’ she muttered and Oliver groaned, causing her to laugh.

"Again, I'm so sorry."

‘’Don’t worry,’’ she said, ‘’it was somewhat charming.’’

‘’Just somewhat?’’

‘’Yeah, there’s room for improvement as far as flirting goes.’’ Her eyes widened as the words slipped out. ‘’Not to assume that you were flirting,’’ she added quickly.

He chuckled lightly and shook his head. ‘’Room for improvement,’’ he muttered under his breath. ‘’Haven’t heard that one before.’’

Felicity didn’t miss his lack of acknowledgment to whether he’d been flirting or not. Which didn’t necessarily mean anything, but made her heart flutter nonetheless. It had been a while since she had felt like this, Felicity thought. Since what could only be described as butterflies took up residence in the pit of her stomach.

‘’Sorry to burst your bubble,’’ she said.

Oliver shook his head. ‘’I’m sure my sister would say it’s good for my ego.’’

‘’Thea?’’

He looked taken aback. ‘’Yeah! You know her?’’

Felicity opened her mouth to answer, but was interrupted by Oliver’s phone going off, indicating he’d gotten a text. He swore under his breath and grabbed it out of his back pocket.

‘’I should probably…’’ he muttered, trailing off, and Felicity nodded.

‘’And I should get back to work.’’

He followed her to the foyer and she picked up the purse on the floor where she had left. She had been ready to say goodbye there but instead he opened the door and waited with her in the hallway as the elevator made its way up.

‘’Well, thank you for all your help.’’

Felicity waved it off. ‘’It was no problem, really.’’

They could hear the elevator stopping a few floors down, the doors opening and closing.

‘’Oh, if there’s anything else or of something gives you trouble, just give me a call and I’ll come by.’’

Oliver hesitated. ‘’I would hate to keep you from your actual job.’’

‘’I do this all the time," she said "sometimes it's nice getting out of the office.’’

His phone started ringing just as the elevator doors opened.

‘’Well, see you later?’’ He said, distracted.

‘’Yeah, you know where to find me.’’

Oliver gave her one last smile. ‘’Thanks, Felicity,’’ he said before stepping back into his apartment and moving to close the door. She could hear him answer the phone with a soft ‘’Hey, you’’ just before it shut and it was with a deep sigh she stepped into the elevator.


	2. Chapter 2

Felicity was in the middle of getting ready for the night, her encounter with Oliver Queen still occupying her thoughts, when there was a knock on the door. She finished applying her mascara before rushing to open it. On the other side was Barry, whose eyes widened at the sight of Felicity in her (and, she knew, his) favorite black dress. The one with the shoulders cutouts.

“Wow, you look nice.” He kissed her cheek and walked past her, towards the kitchen. Felicity chuckled, closed the door, headed back to the bathroom to grab her earrings off the sink before joining him. He was rummaging through her freezer when she walked in.

“Please, help yourself,” she muttered and leaned against the counter.  Barry ignored her, knowing full well she didn’t mind.

“You didn’t have to get all dressed up for me,” he said, as he moved on to her fridge and whatever snacks he could find in there.

She frowned, struggling with one of her earrings. It took her a second, but eventually she caught on, causing her hands to still and drop to her side.

“It’s Friday.”

“It is.”

“I totally did it again.”

Barry turned around, holding a pint of chocolate ice cream and some whipped cream. He was smirking.

“You kind of did.”

 Sighing, she grabbed a spoon out of the drawer next to her and handed it to him. When they were younger they’d always meet up on Fridays to stuff their faces with junk food and watch as much TV as they possibly could. As they got older it became hard to keep the tradition going and the past couple of weeks she’d either stood him up or simply forgotten. Much like tonight.  
  
“I’m so sorry, I completely forgot.”

“This is the third time in as many weeks you do,” Barry said, then shrugged, “but I don’t mind, I still get to eat your ice cream and hijack your Netflix account. I’m almost done with season two of The Good Wife, since you wouldn’t shut up about it.”

Felicity laughed. “Well, if I had my way I’d join you but...” she trailed off, waving her hands at the dress she was wearing, “that is clearly not happening tonight.”

“Who’s the lucky guy?”

“Iris, actually. You know how I can’t say no to her.’’ He raised his eyebrows before taking a spoonful of ice cream. As per usual, more ice cream ended up on his face rather than in his mouth and Felicity crossed the kitchen to grab napkins.

“I’m happy for you?” He joked, mouth full. Felicity stood in front of him, on the tip of her toes, to wipe the ice cream away. He snatched the napkin from her and did it himself causing Felicity to roll her eyes.

“She’s not _my_ date. I’m not _her_ date. I’m not even going on a date, she is. A blind date. She wanted me there as backup.’’

“Ah,” Barry said and turned his attention back to his ice cream. Felicity narrowed her eyes at him.

“Speaking of… I’ve got a bone to pick with you.”

He hummed in acknowledgment, but kept his eyes down.

“What is she doing? Going on dates?”

He didn’t answer right away and Felicity picked up an apple from the bowl next to her on the counter and threw it at him. It hit his left arm and he jumped.

“God—Felicity! I don’t know?” He raised his voice, his frustration growing. He kept picking at his ice cream with the spoon, not meeting her gaze, “you’re the one who’s going there to—what exactly are you doing?”

“Don’t change the subject,” She hissed, “Because you should know. You told me you’d come clean and ask her out.”

“I did.” A beat. “Sort of. Maybe?”

“Barry!”

“She and that new guy had just ended things and she was upset, so I... backed down.”

“You’re hopeless.”

“Yeah, well, she’s going out on dates now!” He was almost yelling at this point.

Felicity shook her head. “Oh, like that wasn’t completely unavoidable?”

Barry didn’t answer. She walked over to him and grabbed his hand. “It’s been two years since Eddie. She’s really started to move past it and I honestly think that, if—"

“I don’t know if I’m ready, Felicity.”

“Well, you can’t wait forever. One day she’ll meet a guy and that’ll be that. You’ve missed your chance.”

He looked at her, nodding. “I know you’re right, but---"

“But you’re not ready.” She said, imitating him. “I know.”

He smiled at her and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

“I still think you’re being dumb about this,” she sighed. 

“I know you do,” he replied, smirking, “now, I think you’ve got a date waiting for you and I’ve got the last five episodes of season two to finish.”

Felicity groaned. “Some of my favorite episodes!”

Barry just chuckled, told her to have fun and walked past her, heading towards the living room. She grabbed her purse on the table and shot Iris a quick text to tell her she was just about to leave. Iris replied almost immediately, saying she was already outside the restaurant.

“Bye, Barry!” she called out.

“Bye, Felicity!” he replied, mouth unmistakably full of ice cream.

***

Felicity arrived at the restaurant twenty minutes later and Iris all but pushed her through the door, scolding her for being late. Felicity made her way towards the bar but she wasn’t even halfway through the restaurant before somebody called her name. ’’Felicity?’’

She turned around, scanning the room for the culprit and it took her a second, but she spotted him eventually. Oliver Queen was back from the dead and the universe wasn't about to let Felicity forget, it seemed.  
  
’’Mr. Queen!’’ She exclaimed, surprised, and walked up to him. He was sitting alone at a table for four, but with only his wine glass, along with the glass opposite him, was filled up.

“Please, call me Oliver. Mr. Queen was my father.”  
  
’’Right, but he’s dead.’’

Oliver raised his eyebrows.

“I mean, he died-- but you already knew that.” She winced and closed her eyes, silently counting down from three. “I’m sorry. Again. My brain.”

When she opened her eyes, she noticed he was smiling. He shook his head at her. “No worries. I don’t mind. It’s actually kind of cute.” He said, and Felicity felt her cheeks heat up. She cleared her throat, and looked around to see if she could spot Iris’ potential date.

“So, what brings you here tonight? Are you meeting someone?” Oliver asked.

Felicity snorted and turned her attention back to him. 

 “No, I’m here to—Actually, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.’’

’’Try me.’’ he challenged, gesturing towards the chair. She eyed him and then the chair, hesitating for just a moment before she sat down across from him.

  
’’Well, my best friend is going out on a blind date and it’s been a while so she’s-- well, she’s worried the guy might be a creep. The last date she went to ended up being a disaster, so she wanted me to come with. As back-up, to check the guy out beforehand. We have a signal and everything.’’

  
’’A signal?’’

  
’’Yeah, if she wants to get out of here. She’ll give me the signal and I’ll--’’  
  
’’Felicity!’’ the sound of her best friend’s voice brought her to a stop and she hurried out of the chair.  
  
’’Iris! I’m sorry! I ran into my--’’ Friend? Were they friends? She’d only just met him that day.

’’Oliver. I mean, he’s not _my_ Oliver. He’s Oliver Queen.’’ Felicity turned to him and smiled. ‘’And Oliver, This is Iris, my best friend and Iris, this is--’’  
  
’’Oliver.’’ Iris finished for her. She seemed shocked, but then again, Felicity had just introduced her to Oliver Queen.  
  
’’Right.’’  
  
Oliver smiled politely. ’’It’s nice to meet you, Iris.’’ he said as he stood up and extended his hand for her to shake. ’’McKenna has told me so much about you.’’  
  
This time it was Felicity who was shocked. Who and what, now? She looked to her friend, hoping to get an explanation out of her, but Iris was looking at Oliver, the same bewildered look on her face still present.

  
’’I would want to say likewise, but she never mentioned-- she told me his - your - name was Oliver, but I never would have... I had no idea the two of you were friends’’

  
’’Yeah, we go way back.’’  
  
Felicity stood there for a second, alternating between staring at the two of them, before she caught on.

  
“Oh,’’ she said, “he’s your date!”

She turned to Oliver. “You’re her date!”

“And I’m not a creep!” He joked, to which Iris slapped Felicity’s arm and muttered “you told him?”

“Well, I didn’t know it was him, now did I?”  
  
Iris shot her a look. “And _how_ do you know him, again?”

Felicity opened her mouth to answer, but Oliver beat her to it.

“Walter Steele has taken a liking to Felicity, so when I needed someone to set up the Wi-Fi and go over the security at my new place, he recommended her to help me.”

“Right after he asked my opinion about his kitchen counter-top.”

Oliver chuckled while Iris mostly looked confused.  
  
“Well, as far as technology goes, Felicity’s your girl,” she said, almost cautiously. Felicity looked over at Oliver who kept his eyes on her. Neither of them said anything and neither of them looked away. Iris cleared her throat.  

“Well, that’s-- I’m going to go. You guys have fun,” Felicity said and was about to turn and leave when Iris grabbed her arm.

 

“Why don’t you stay?” She asked, “I feel bad for asking you to come out with me, and then have you leave ten minutes later.”

“It’s okay, Barry’s at my place right now and—"

“He won’t mind!”

Felicity eyed her best friend, frowning.

“But...?” She trailed off, not sure what to say.  
  
“Please?” Iris begged. Oliver just nodded his head encouragingly.  
  
“You sure you won’t mind?” she asked, looking between the two.

The truth was, Felicity didn’t feel particularly excited to sit in on their date, ending up as the third wheel. But more than that, she really didn’t want to leave the two alone, even if admitting that to herself made her a terrible friend.

“Of course not!” Oliver said.

“No, I really don’t!” Iris urged, “I’d feel silly if I asked you to leave now. Just stay for a glass of wine.”

“One?”  
  
“One,” they both repeated after her.  
  
“Fine,” she said as she sat down, “one glass, then.”

***

Except, one glass turned into two, then three and four. It ended up with her having dinner. Felicity had been scared it was going to be awkward, that she’d be stuck watching Iris and Oliver making eyes at each other and that she’d feel left out and jealous. But neither of those things happened. Iris talked about growing up in Central City (with Barry), about how she became a journalist (thanks to Barry) and how much she loved her job, all while Oliver listened intently. They seemed to be hitting it off, Felicity thought. She laughed at each his jokes and he complimented her writing. Mostly she talked and he listened, intently, which didn’t really surprise Felicity because he didn’t seem like the type who liked to talk about himself. Felicity tried her best not to interfere too much, considering this was her best friends date. She was set on letting Iris do the heavy lifting and only really speak when spoken to. Except they were both making it very hard for her to do so. Iris insisted on getting on her input on everything and Oliver kept asking her questions. So Felicity told him briefly about her growing up in Vegas, about MIT and about her early days at QC. He especially wanted to know about her encounters with Walter and how she ended up on his family’s speed dial. His words, not hers.

“My sister adores you. When I asked her about you,” her heart did not skip a beat at that one, no, sir, it did not, “she just wouldn’t shut up.”

“That’s Felicity, alright!” Iris said and Felicity rolled her eyes.

“What? You’re like the most lovable person I have ever met.”

” You’ve known each other long, then?” Oliver asked.

“Since sophomore year,” Iris confirmed. “Dad had just gotten transferred from Central City and we were new at the school. I needed some help with a story for the school paper and someone told me and my friend Barry told me about Felicity and her computer skills. We’ve been inseparable ever since.”

’’The two of them walked in and I opened my mouth and made a total fool of myself, as usual.”

“You sort of did. But I didn’t mind. I love it when you babble, it’s cute.”

“It’s not that cute,” Felicity mumbled,

“It’s very cute.”

“Yeah,’’ Oliver agreed, staring at Felicity, “it kind of is.”

She didn’t know how to respond to that. She also wasn’t a hundred percent comfortable with him looking at her like that, not with Iris sitting right there. Felicity cleared her throat

“I love Thea,’’ She said instead, cheeks hot, itching to change the subject. And it was true. They had ended up bonding when Thea had showed up at her office with a smashed phone. Felicity, being the way that she is, had said that while she’d love to help, surely Thea Queen could just get a new phone instead. Thea had stared at her, those big brown eyes so full of sadness it broke Felicity’s heart, and then said there were pictures of her father on it and asked if there was anything Felicity could salvage. She could, of course, even if it occupied most of her afternoon. Somehow, in the process, they’d ended up unlikely friends.

“She’s a great kid. I love hanging out with her.”

He smiled at that, that dopey kind of smile with teeth she’d gotten a glimpse of earlier that day and yeah, her heart definitely skipped a beat there.

***

As the night went on, Felicity’s guilt increased. Because every time she found herself staring at him, holding his gaze for a tiny bit too long, she knew she had to leave. But she didn’t, because she didn’t want to. She’d tried a couple of times, telling them it was getting late, that she should leave, but Oliver stopped her, convinced her to sit down and Iris never protested. Every time he told her to stay, she was relieved. She wanted to be there, with him, and she felt awful because of it.

It wasn’t until an hour or two after her last try, when Iris excused herself to the bathroom and shot Felicity a very pointed and not very subtle look that she figured she was in trouble. Felicity followed her best friend and the doors to the ladies’ room were barely closed before she launched into an apology.

’’I honestly don’t know what’s wrong with me. I mean, what am I doing? This is your date! I’m hijacking your date! With Oliver Queen, no less! I’m so, so--’’

’’Felicity---’’

’’I’ll leave right now, I’m so sorry--’’

“Don’t leave,’’ Iris said, “it’s fine.’’

Felicity stared at her friend, brows furrowed, mouth and brain stuck mid-sentence, not sure how to respond. She backtracked, replaying the scene in her head before settling on a resolute:

_’’What?’’_

‘’I mean, I’m not going to lie. I’m a little bitter I was set up on a date with Oliver fucking Queen and he only has eyes for you, but I’m not angry.’’

She blinked one, two, three times.

‘’What?” Felicity asked again.

Iris rolled her eyes. ’’Come on, that boy is _smitten,_ ’’ she said, shaking her head. ‘’You’re crazy if you don’t see it.’’ 

“First of all--- I---” Felicity didn’t know what to say to that because she did see it but she didn’t want to admit that, so she just deflected, “why’d you stay?”

“Because it would have been weird if I left my own date, don’t you think?”

’’And it will still be weird if you leave now!’’ Felicity protested. ’’Please stay, it seems like I can’t...I can’t control what I’m saying around him, I mean, it’s worse than usual,’’ she pleaded.

Iris tilted her head, lips pursed before smiling affectionately.

“You like him. I mean, I figured you were into him because, well, he’s Oliver Queen and he looks like—“ Iris gestured at the door, waving her hand as way of explanation “—like that. But it’s more than that.”

“Iris—”

“You really, really like him.”

“Will you please just stay? It’ll be weird if you go. I don’t wanna freak him out.”

“You won’t freak him out!”

Felicity opened her mouth to protest but her friend cut her off.

“You’ll be fine! You’ve got this! I don’t think there’s anything you can do to scare him off at this point.’’

“I think you’re underestimating my ability to freak people out.”

“I’m really not.”

Felicity threw her a look, sighing deeply. “I’m sorry I ruined your date.”

Iris just shrugged. “You didn’t ruin anything, I wasn’t that excited to begin with.”

“Still, I completely—"

“Stop, it’s fine! I’m fine!  I texted Barry earlier, he’s on his way to pick me up.  I get to spend time with my best friend and you get to stay on this date with the man of my dreams.”

Felicity groaned. “That doesn’t make me feel any better!”

“Oh, come on! I was joking! You really need to lighten up.” She said, shaking her head.

“I’m sorr—"

“Honest to god, Felicity, will you stop apologizing?”

“Sorry. I just—”

“No!”

“No, but I—"

“Stop!”

“What if I—"

“Felicity.”

“Fine. Okay. I’ll stay.”

“Good.”

After another minute of pep talks and reassurances, they made their way back to their table. Iris didn’t even sit down. Instead she grabbed her coat, said there was a family emergency and that Barry was waiting outside to pick her up. She kissed Oliver on the cheek, hugged Felicity and rushed out of the restaurant.  
  
“You think everything’s okay?” Oliver asked.

“Oh, everything’s fine,” she said, shrugging it off, “nothing life threatening.”

“What happened?”

Felicity stared at him, not quite sure what to say. “I’m-- not sure. Something about her dad? I’m sure he’s fine! I mean, she would have told me if he wasn’t.”

Oliver pursed his lips ever so slightly, as if contemplating something. Felicity waited in silence, sort of hoping he’d end their date (except it wasn’t their date, it was Iris’ date) but at the same time she was terrified that that was exactly what he was considering.

‘’Well, if everything’s fine—”

“It is.”

“Would you like to stay for another glass of wine?”

She smiled, relieved. “Make it a bottle and you’ve got yourself a deal.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really trying to step away from my screenwriting tendencies, so apologies if the inner dialogue and whatnot isn't all... there. I'm so used to writing screenplays I feel like I've forgotten what it's like to write everything else. Anyway, kudos and comments honestly makes me so happy! Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments makes my heart happy.
> 
> Follow me on [tumblr](http://felicitybarry.tumblr.com) or [twitter](http://twitter.com/cIaudiajean), if ya want! 


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